Lumo, the low-fare rail operator, has announced that its London to Edinburgh service has become the most popular mode of transport between the two cities, surpassing domestic flights. Since its launch last year, the 100% electric train operator has seen rail's share of the route increase to 57% between April and August, up from 35% in the same period of 2019.
The four-and-a-half-hour journey, with fares starting as low as £13.10 for a single with a railcard, offers a more eco-friendly alternative to the 1-hour-20-minute flight. Lumo's managing director, Martijn Gilbert, said: 'We launched Lumo to provide an affordable sustainable option for travel between Edinburgh and London, and the new figures showcase just how much the environment benefits from customers making the decision to travel by rail instead of taking domestic flights.'
The service, which calls at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth before reaching Edinburgh, has already reached one million customers. Features include free Wi-Fi, a streaming service for movies and TV shows, and the LumoGo app for ordering food and drink to your seat.
Lumo's launch coincided with the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow in 2021, highlighting the growing demand for sustainable travel options. The operator's data shows that rail travel now accounts for 57% of journeys between London and Edinburgh, compared to 35% pre-pandemic.
